Forgiveness is Not a Dirty Word
Sunday, 24 January 2010 03:38 | 
Written by Martha Wolowicz
When people hurt your feelings, ignore you, or undermine your self esteem, do you get angry? Do you cry in frustration and hurt? Do you try to figure out how to get even? Those times can be devastating to us, especially if the person who has hurt us is someone we truly care about.
If our first reaction is revenge, that is the time to extend forgiveness. Sounds ridiculous by the world's standards, doesn't it? Depending on the hurt and the person, forgiveness is the farthest thing from our minds when we've been hurt. But only with forgiveness can we get rid of the terrible weight of anger and resentment. It requires humility, emotional control, and the willingness to change and put the hurt aside.
Just as we've been hurt, we unknowingly or deliberately hurt the God who created us and loves us. We hurt Him in many ways, but basically we hurt Him when we don't accept His Son, Jesus, as our way to Heaven, and when we refuse to live as He wants us to. Fortunately, God is willing to forgive us. Hard to figure out why He would forgive all the junk in our lives, especially when we look at His forgiveness in relation to our unwillingness to forgive.
But, the simplest answer is that God forgives us because He loves us so much. The act of forgiving is beautiful. As we believe and accept Jesus, as our Savior from sin, we find the ability and freedom to forgive others, just as God forgives us.
If our first reaction is revenge, that is the time to extend forgiveness. Sounds ridiculous by the world's standards, doesn't it? Depending on the hurt and the person, forgiveness is the farthest thing from our minds when we've been hurt. But only with forgiveness can we get rid of the terrible weight of anger and resentment. It requires humility, emotional control, and the willingness to change and put the hurt aside.
Just as we've been hurt, we unknowingly or deliberately hurt the God who created us and loves us. We hurt Him in many ways, but basically we hurt Him when we don't accept His Son, Jesus, as our way to Heaven, and when we refuse to live as He wants us to. Fortunately, God is willing to forgive us. Hard to figure out why He would forgive all the junk in our lives, especially when we look at His forgiveness in relation to our unwillingness to forgive.
But, the simplest answer is that God forgives us because He loves us so much. The act of forgiving is beautiful. As we believe and accept Jesus, as our Savior from sin, we find the ability and freedom to forgive others, just as God forgives us.
Last Updated (Sunday, 24 January 2010 04:01)